Friends
by Cyrst
Summary: From the beginning of their story to the end, Ben and Riley’s relationship grew into something more. BenRiley slash BGRP AU
1. Chapter 1

YOU MUST READ THE FOLLOWING BEFORE READING THE ACTUAL STORY!

Hey everyone. Megan, reporting for duty!

I've taken a new loving to National Treasure slashness. I was sifting through the slash on the fanfictions for National Treasure, and found barely any long ones, none past fifty thousand words. So, I was like, 'Well, I should give it a try. It's not like I could totally destroy the world if I did.' And… here I am! By the way, I better not have just jinxed us. That would be bad. Um… back to the story.

OH! Before I begin, try to remember that if you do not like slash, I don't want you reading this. I haven't ever gotten any complaints about slash before, and I really don't want to start now. [Of course I haven't, this is my first slash piece! In fact, my first 'piece' ever! And I could care less if you review this, but if you do like this, then review, because I will not be adding another chapter if I don't get any reviews. … No, seriously. Then I'll think that no one likes my fanfiction. Then I'll cry, and run away from home, then I'll never ever update!

-coughs-

**Title:** Friends

**Rating:** M

**Warnings:** Yes, I know this is a Disney film, but I'm revising it a bit. So there will be **cussing, killing, and evil bitches**. Also, **kissing, hugging, and perhaps a bit more**. Enough said.

**Summary:** From the beginning of their story to the end, Ben and Riley's relationship grew into something more. BenRiley slash BGRP AU

**Chapter:** … One?

**Date for next update: **01-14-08 [Hopefully

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. I think this movie is Disney's, and I'd get sued a lot of money if I said it was mine, so I definitely don't own anything. I'll let you know if I get successful on EBay though. [Most of this chapter is direct quotes from the movie. After this chapter though, I swear _quiet_ a bit of the dialogue will change. The story will follow the same premises.

_Suddenly I_

_Am in front of the lights_

_Everything I'm feeling _

_Is scary and beautiful _

_At the same time_

_And every day_

_I try just to breath_

_I want to show the whole world _

_The truth inside of me_

_Suddenly people know my name_

_Suddenly everything has changed_

_Suddenly I feel so alive_

_In the blink of an eye_

_My dreams being to reign_

-Suddenly

By Ashley Tisdale

**Chapter One**

Middle of the Artic:

Present Day

Benjamin Franklin Gates was a great laugh down by post office. Many of the workers there were always amused when he would show up one day, talking of great treasures and the riches beneath the ground.

"All I need to discover the treasure is in these letters," The young man would tell them, his eyes alight with the very prospect of buried treasure, "Which contains all of the clues I need. The nest time you see me, I might be a hero! A rich man! Why, I might even discover the very truth of our history!"

However, over time Benjamin Gates' eyes wouldn't sparkle as much and his exclamations became more of a motto, something he was trying to tell himself would come true. As if he said it enough times it would be true.

Today, he was not at the post office, waiting for another dead end. Rather, today he was in one of the last places you might expect.

In fact, today, Ben was just north of the Artic Circle. Perhaps it was due to a vacation gone bad or to teach a historic lesson on the Artic Circle, but what ever the reason, he was in a snow cat, something like a snow plow, but not, as it specialized in driving through the snow. It was large, bulky, and yellow. Not to mention cold.

Ben sat in the driver's seat. He wore a thick black jacket with matching leather gloves. On his face he wore a cheap pair of sunglasses that reflected most of the sun's bright light. His dark brown hair was barely showing, and his white teeth were clenched together.

To the left of him sat Ian Howes, one of his companions in his epic journey through the artic. Ian wore a white jacket, although much larger than Ben's. He too wore sunglasses, although his looked much more expensive. His sort of long blond hair was being pushed back thanks to the freezing air that was rushing past his face.

And behind the two of them was Riley Poole. Riley wore a dark blue cap that covered his pale ears. Covering his arms was a thin and barely warm blue jacket. It was hardly any wonder that covering his legs, he wore a wool blanket. Sitting on top of his legs sat an open computer. He was typing away, playing a strategic video game.

The drive was quiet, except for a few comments by Ben, about how they might as well being going on a sled, they were going so slow. Ian always gave his opinion on what Ben thought, but Riley made sure to stay out of it. He was rather fond of Ben, however weird that sounded.

After some time, Riley's video game began to give off a loud beeping noise. He quickly turned off the volume, but it was loud enough for Ben and Ian to have heard.

"We getting close?" Ian asked, directing question to Riley. He didn't bother to turn around- he just shot out the question. Riley quickly quit the video game and opened a file.

"Assuming Ben's theory is correct and my tracking model is accurate we should be getting very close," Riley told them, reading off the digital map he had opened. "If you don't go by me, I broke a shoe lace this morning.

Ian and Ben shot each other looks. Ben's was an amused one, where as Ian just looked annoyed.

"It-it's a bad omen," Riley said defensively.

"What, should we turn around and go home?" Ian asked Ben sarcastically.

"Or we could just pull over and throw him out here," Ben added, taking one hand off the wheel so he could gesture to the outside winter wonderland. The two men laughed, but Riley just chuckled nervously.

"Okay," he pouted.

"Riley, you're not missing that little windowless cubicle we found you in, are you?" Ben asked, turning his head towards Riley for a split second. Riley winced.

"No, no, absolutely not!" He answered, causing Ben to smile.

Riley's computer screen began flashing, and a different beeping filled the car, this time from the tracking device. The vehicle slowed down, then stopped. The two older men hopped out. The other vehicle that had been following them also came to a stop, and a few more people filed out and joined Ben and Ian.

Riley groaned from inside.

"A little help might be nice?"

Ben grinned and yanked the door open to let out a very cold Riley.

"Why are we stopping? I don't see nothing," One of the men asked.

"Where's this 'something'?"

"I though we was looking for a ship."

"I don't see any ship."

"She's out there," Ben muttered, eyeing the snowy terrain.

"Grab the metal detectors," Ian commanded. The men from the other vehicle complied, pulling out five metal detectors. Riley tried to stay clear from them, hiding behind Ben. One of them walked up to Riley from behind, touching his shoulder.

Riley yelped, whipping his body around and karate chopped the man's hand. His attack was fruitless as the man just grinned. Scowling, Riley turned away, although he inched a bit closed to Ben.

It wasn't long before everyone had metal detector. Well, except Ian and Riley, as they didn't have enough. Ian was directing everyone though. And Riley… well, Riley was still clutching Ben's warm jacket.

Minutes passed as they covered the icy ground, in search of a large gigantic ship.

One of Ian's men walked over to Ben and Riley.

"Look, this is a waste of time, man. How could a ship get way up here?"

Riley finally let go of Ben, facing the larger man. He put on his thinking face, "Gee, well, I'm no expert but it could be that the hydrothermic properties of this region produced hurricane force ice storms that caused to ocean to freeze and then melt and then refreeze, resulting in a semi-solid land mass that would land a ship right about here."

The man just stared at him.

Riley paused for a moment, took in a deep breath, and then wandered ahead of the group.

Ben, who was now free from Riley, began walking left, towards a rather large snowdrift. As he did so, the metal detect in his hands began to beep. It was slow at first, but the closer he got, the louder and quicker the beeping got. Once he actually reached the snowdrift, the beeping had disappeared- it had been replaced by a loud solid droning noise.

His eyes widened. Quickly, he dropped his pack on the snow and pulled out a pick ax. As fast as he could, he began to dig snow out of the ground. Suddenly, the ax hit something and gave off a loud metal clang.

If Ben's eyes could have gotten any bigger, they would have. The pick ax was thrown aside, and he dug his hands in the snow to brush away the rest of it. Ben could definitely feel something solid, something that wasn't ice. Better yet, he could _see_ something that wasn't ice. It was almost a grayish brown color. His hand brushed away snow on the metal.

It read 'Boston Massach-'and was cute off there. Ben reached into his pack once more, although this time to grab a water bottle. Opening the lid, he began to poor the water right below 'Boston Massach-'.

C-H-A-R-L-O-T-T-E

"Hello, beautiful," Ben breathed, caught up in the moment.

Ian definitely knew how to work his men, because three hours later, what used to be a simple snowdrift had been completely destroyed to uncover the ship below. The ship had been dug out top to bottom, so you could only see the first five feet of the uncovered ship. They hadn't yet gotten to the bottom of the ship,

Ben and Ian worked side by side, where as everyone else worked separately. Riley, who was close by Ben and Ian, was mouthing their conversation in disgust.

"You know, I don't know if I ever would have found Charlotte without you," Ben told Ian. Ian smirked.

"You would have found it, I have no doubt." His British accent sounded quiet positive, "That's why I didn't think this was as crazy of an investment as everyone said, you know?"

"I'm just relieved that _I'm_ not as crazy as everyone says," Ben shot back, "Or my dad, or my great dad, or my great, great dad."

Ian laughed.

"Okay everyone! Let's go!" Ben called out to Ian's men and the technician behind him. He opened a latch door that lead to the ship below.

"Let's go find some treasure, alright?" Ian told them all as the men began to shuffle inside. Flashlights were turned on as everyone entered the old ship. It was dark. Everything seemed to have a shade of blue, until the flashlight hit it. Everyone had a flashlight, and everyone stuck together.

Someone grunted as he pushed in a metal door to the next room. It led to a lower level in the ship. Flashlights were pointed down below as everyone walked down, one after the other. The stairs to get down were covered in snow and ice, making the steps down dangerous and scary.

Riley took a look at a hammock, covered with a blanket. His curiosity made him reach over and pull the blanket away. As he did so, his blue eyes saw the dead person underneath. No skin- all bones and clothes. He gasped, taking a step backwards. In doing so, he tripped over a broken chair. As he stood up, Ben looked over at him, amused.

"You handled that well," Ben cajoled. Riley glared.

"This is it," One of Ian's men yelled, "It's the cargo hold!"

The man who spoke pushed against the icy door. The door didn't budge. Another man walked up and began to push as well. After a moment, the door gave, crashing to the ground.

Riley looked at the room. Giant boxes and bundles wrapped in cloth covered the room. Ropes dangled form the ceiling. A health hazard, if he ever saw one.

"You think it's in the barrels?" He asked, pointing his flashlight at a wooden barrel. Neither Ian or Ben responded, but they did begin to search the barrels, pulling the lids off and dumping it's components on the ground.

Ian suddenly held something up in the air. It was small, rather like a bullet. He sniffed it cautiously. "Gun powder."

Ben's flashlight passed over a skeleton with a funny hat. He froze, looking back at the hat-wearing skeleton. The skeleton was holding a barrel. "Now why would the captain be guarding _this_ barrel?"

He pried the dead man's hand off the barrel, and pulled the barrel away from him. He popped off the wooden lid. Gunpowder. Ben's heart dropped, but sifted through the sand, hoping something might appear.

His hopes were granted. After about half of the gunpowder had fallen to the ground, he found something- a package. It was rather small, and it smelled old. The package was wrapped in light brown leather.

"I found something!" Ben exclaimed, his voice disbelieving. Ian walked over, followed by his men. Riley trailed behind the rest of them. Someone pointed the flashlight on top of it. The leather bundle was tied together with a small piece of twine. Ben ran his fingers over the bundle before untying the twine. He threw the twine aside.

"What is it?" Ian asked quietly. Now the leather came off, as Ben unfolded it carefully. Inside was a case, with gold designs of an angel on the top. Ben's fingers traced the opening, before unlocking the treasure.

"A pipe?" Riley guessed. Ben reached into the box, gently taking the pipe out. He held it up. It was a pipe. However, attached to the end of the pipe was a decoration. This decoration was a hand carved wooden piece of a castle. Four wooden men had also been carved on, on top of the castle. They held guns and flags.

Ben's voice hitched, "Do you guys know what this is?"

"Is it a," Riley took another guess, "billion dollar pipe?"

Ben passed the pipe to Ian. Ian smiled. "It's a musuan pipe."

"Ah, it's beautiful," Ian breathed.

"Look at the intricy of the scroll work on the stem of the pipe," Ben pointed at the middle part of the pipe.

"Is it a … million dollar pipe?" Riley asked again, although a bit more curiously than before. Ben stared at him for a moment then shook his head.

"A clue," Ben corrected, taking the pipe back from Ian. "Let me see that."

He pulled of the end piece, causing Riley to exclaim, "What? No! Don't break it."

"We're one step closer to discovering the treasure, gentlemen."

"Wait a minute," Ian cut in, shifting uneasily, "I thought you said the treasure would be _on_ the Charlotte."

"No, I said the secret lies with Charlotte," Ben replied, ignoring Ian's dangerous tone, "I said it could be here."

He pulled out a pocketknife and gently pricked his finger. Blood began to inch out, slowly at first, then faster. Riley's eyes widened, thinking, _Blood, blood, go away, please come back another day!_ Ben placed his bloody finger on the scroll of the pipe, covering all of it.

"Paper," He whispered, "I need paper."

Riley grabbed his bag and pulled out a small booklet. He flipped to the back and held it open for Ben.

"It's the Templar symbols," Ben told them as he rolled the bloody scroll on the paper. Once done, he held up the book.

"_The legend rit,_

_The stain affected,_

_The key and silence undetected,_

_Fifty-five in iron pen,_

_Mr. Matlack can't offend."_

"It's a riddle," Ben finished with, "I need to think."

"The legend rit…" Ben began to talk out loud, "… The stain affected."

Beside him, Riley sat down on a barrel. He closed his eyes and began to think as well, trying to keep up with Ben's fast words.

"What legend? Was the legend of the templar treasure? The stain affects the legend. But how?"

Riley opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted before he could start.

"The key and silence undetected."

"Wait… The legend, the key, there's something," Ben sat down on an unopened barrel. "A map. Maps have legends, maps have keys. It's a map. An invisible map. So now-"

"Wait," Ian stopped him. "What do you mean, invisible? An invisible map?"

"The stain affected could refer to a guy or a reactant," Ben continued as Riley stood. Moving to sit closer to Ben, Riley sat on the barrel next to Ben, "used to bring about a certain result combined with the key and silence undetected. The implication is that the affect is to make what was undetectable detectable. Unless the key and silence could be-"

"Prison," Riley said quickly, before Ben could continue his musings. Ben looked up, confused. No one had interrupted him when he was so close to a discovery- so _close_ to his discovery.

"Albacurky. Snorkel. See, I can do it do. Banana," Riley insisted. "Prison. That's were the map is. It's like you said, fifty-five with the iron pen. Iron pen is a prison."

"Or it could be since the primary writing medium of the time was iron gul ink, then pen is... just a pen. But why not just say a pen? Why… Why say iron pen?"

"Because it's a prison," Shaw, Ian's main man said darkly, shuffling his feet.

"Wait a minute. Iron pen. The iron does not describe the ink in the pen. It describes what was penned. It was iron, it was firm, it was mineral- no, no, no. Let's try that again. It… it was firm, it was adamant, it was resolved. It was resolved. Mr. Matlack can't offend. Timothy Matlack was the official scribe of the Continental Congress: calligrapher, not writer. And to make sure he could not offend the map, he was put on the back of the resolution that he transcribed. A resolution that fifty-five men signed. The Declaration of Independence."

Ian gave a quiet, disbelieving chuckle.

"Come on, there's no invisible map on the back of the Declaration of Independence," Riley turned to face Ben, an eyebrow raised.

"Clever, really," Ian said, "A document of that importance would insure the map's survival. And you said that there were several Masons who signed it?"

"Nine, in fact," Ben replied.

"We'll have to arrange a way to examine it," Ian announced, standing.

"This is one of the most important documents in history. No one is just going to let us waltz in there and run chemicals on it," Ben shook his head is disagreement.

"Then what do you suppose we do, Ben?" Ian asked dangerously.

"I don't know!" Ben snapped back furiously. Riley's hand subconsciously inched closer to Ben's, wanting to calm the enraged man down.

"We could borrow it."

Ian's idea sounded like a black rain cloud in the middle of a clear sunny day. Ben turned his head to shoot a look at Ian. "Steal it?"

Ian didn't say anything. He looked down.

"I don't think so, Ian," Ben scolded.

"Ben..," Ian informed, "The treasure of the Knight's Templar is the treasure of all treasures."

"Oh wow, I didn't know that, really?" Ben replied sarcastically.

Ian took a death breath. "Look, Ben. I understand your bitterness, I really do. You've spent your whole life searching for this treasure. Honestly, I have nothing but respect for you and your family. For the entire historical community to treat you with the mockery and contempt they do is outrageous. You should get the chance to rub the treasure in their arrogant faces and I want you to have the chance to do that!

"Oh," Ben was silent.

"Look Ben. We al have our areas of expertise. You don't think mine is limited to signing checks, do you? No, in another life, I arranged a number of operations of questionable legality."

Shaw shuffled close to Ian. "You'd better take his word for it."

"So don't worry," Ian told him friendly, "I'll make all the arrangements."

"No," Ben said, standing. Riley followed in suit, keeping their hands linked.

Ian also stood from the box he had been sitting on. He took a step towards Ben.

"I'd really need your help here," He warned. Riley squeezed Ben's hand, trying to warn him to cool it. Ben shot the younger man a quick glance, but ignored him.

"Ian, I'm not going to let you steal the Declaration of Independence," Ben sounded sure of himself.

"Okay. From this point on, all you're going to be is a hindrance." Ian turned to the door, ready to leave the ship.

Ben took a step forward. The instant he moved, Shaw pulled out a gun from the inside of his jacket. Shaw pointed the gun at Ben.

Riley's eyes widened, "Hey!"

"What are you going to do?" Ben asked, "You going to shoot me, Shaw?"

Shaw smirked.

"Well you can't shoot me. There's more to the riddle. Information you don't have, but I do. And I'm the only one who can figure it out, and you know that."

Ian froze in his step. He spun around. "He's bluffing."

"I'm not, Ian. You know I can't lie. We've played poker together."

"Tell me what I need to know, Ben," Ian threatened, "Or I'll shoot your boyfriend."

Shaw moved the gun's angle to it was pointing at Riley. Ben and Riley dropped each other's hands. Ben hadn't even realized his hand was being held.

"Hey, no!" Riley panicked. "You've got it all wrong!"

"Quiet Riley," Ian hissed, "Your job is finished here."

Ben's eyes darted around, looking for an advantage on what was happening. Seeing no other option, he lit a piece of wood he found earlier. Shaw turned the gun back towards Ben instantly. Ian's eyes widened slightly.

"Look were you're standing," Ben said, "All that gunpowder. You shoot me, I drop this, and we all go up in flames."

"Ben," Riley grasped Ben's right hand again.

"What happens when the flame goes down? Then what?" Ian asked quietly, "Tell me what I need to know, Ben.

"You need to know… You need to know to shock and catch."

Ben tossed the piece of wood at them. Riley closed his eyes, preparing for a boom that never came. Ian had grabbed the piece of wood as it flew the air.

"Damnit," Ben muttered softly.

"Nice try there, Ben," Ian scolded Ben, a smug smile on his face.

Suddenly though, he scream.

The fire caught on to some of the gunpowder that had attached to his glove earlier. Ian let go of the fire, letting it drop on to the floor. A burst of heat filled the room as the gunpowder began to go up in flames. The fire had taken no time to find the gunpowder.

"Get out Shaw!" Ian yelled as he ran out the door. The flames on his gloves and jacket had gone out, with no gunpowder left to feed on.

The flames had made a wall between Ian and Ben.

"Come on, Riley!" Ben yelled to his companion, dashing to the other side of the room. The fire had already reached this side. He bent down, searching for a latch. Barely a moment based before he found one, throwing it open.

"What is this?" Riley screamed back, hardly hearing Ben over the roar of the fire.

"Smugglers' hole, get in!"

Riley asked no more questions as he leapt into the hole. The two of them raced down the passageway, trying to escape the flickering flames that followed them.

"Follow me," Ben told Riley as he dove through a small door. Riley followed quickly. Ben slammed the door down. "Duck!"

Riley and Ben both fell to the floor, heads down against the snow.

The boom that followed was louder than the final firework on the fourth of July. The entire ship had broken apart into thousands of pieces. Wood had flown everywhere. Smoke was rising.

Riley began coughing loudly, where as Ben slowly sat up, taking in the new surrounding.

"You okay?" Ben asked Riley as he stood.

"Yeah, yeah," Riley waved the question off as attempted to stand as well. He tripped though, falling face first into the snow. He grunted, pulling himself up again.

"There's village about nine miles east from here. It's popular with bush pilots."

"Alright," Riley coughed again, "Then what are we going to do?"

"We're going to head home." Ben held out a hand to help Riley stand up. Once Riley had stood, he turned away and began to walk.

"No," he took in a deep breath, "I meant about Ian. He's going to steal the Declaration of Independence."

Ben paused in his steps. Looking back over his shoulder, he said the last thing Riley wanted to hear.

"We're going to stop him.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

**Next Chapter**

Riley Poole knew the first moment he laid eyes on Doctor Abigail Chase that he wouldn't like her. Not one bit. She was blond. She was rich. She had an accent. She had a secretary. She seemed powerful. She was part of the government.

And she had Benjamin Gates wrapped around her finger. And that was a major no-no on Riley Poole's list.


	2. Chapter 2

**J.M.Captein: **Why thank you. Hopefully this meets your standard. And thank you for reviewing.

**Pheonix-fire13**: Graci! Thanks for reviewing.

**Evil-Irish-Wolf:** Yes, that's the best part, is it not? Thank you. I think that it was a bit better, so I'm posting some more now. Thanks much for reviewing.

**Essenze:** Thank you kindly for reviewing. Of course Ms. Abigail is going to be an evil beotch. What other kinds are there? Me neither. [Wish I had one of those. :D Oh! Me too! Seriously, she didn't even believe them in the first place. And she ignores Riley. Poor Riley. Thanks, again.

**RentFreak: **WHOOT! YES! I totally agree. Well… She'll still be an evil •••••, but I'll try to lighten up on the bashing. I don't think she would either, but she stole Ben from Riley, so… Definitely clueless. And thank you very much for reviewing.

**CountToEight:** Thank you. Yes, they do seem popular, don't they? Got it. The next chapter has quiet a bit of changes, including a scene never in the movie. But, meh. Hopefully it will be an improvement. Thanks for reviewing, and thanks for the tips/help.

**Agarwaenloth:** Thank you very much. Hey, me too! Except, I couldn't find one. Aha. Is there like, a button to say 'accept anonymous reviews', because if there is, I'd definitely click it. If not, then, well, darn. I couldn't find any. Thank you kindly for reviewing. It's very much appreciated.

Okay… please review. –coughs- Thanks. I'll definitely post another chapter after how many reviews I got. I seriously only expected one. So, getting seven was definitely a great thing. WHEEEEEEE!

**Author's Notes:** I know the characters are a bit out of character, but that's why this is an AU. [Alternate universe, people. Riley is a bit more 'wild' I guess, and Ben responds a bit more to Riley's actions. And Doctor Chase is a bit more stuck up, a bit more b---- like, and quiet a bit more like a girl. Yes, I think that's about it. Wait! One more thing. I posted this earlier, because school starts in about a week, but I have to go to work, so I don't know when I'll get to post again. Hopefully on the fourteenth but you never know. That's when I'll post, for sure, though. Oh. Sorry this is so short, just barely three thousand words, but the next one will be longer. This I promise.

**Title:** Friends

**Rating:** M

**Warnings:** Yes, I know this is a Disney film, but I'm revising it a bit. So there will be **cussing, killing, and evil bitches**. Also, **kissing, hugging, and perhaps a bit more**. Enough said.

**Summary:** From the beginning of their story to the end, Ben and Riley's relationship grew into something more. BenRiley slash BGRP AU

**Chapter:** … Two?

**Date for next update: **01-14-08 (Seriously)

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. I think this movie is Disney's, and I'd get sued a lot of money if I said it was mine, so I definitely don't own anything. I'll let you know if I get successful on EBay though.

**Chapter Two**

East of the Artic Circle:

November 8th, 2004

Riley Poole was bored. And if you've met Riley Poole, you would know that a bored Riley was a dangerous Riley. He didn't exactly blow things up- unless you counted your eardrums. You might ask why Riley was bored. And I could tell you why. I mean, wouldn't you be bored if you had been walking for five miles? Then discover that you still had four more to go? Yes, Riley was as bored as he could get. And his companion, Benjamin Gates, was dieing. Not from lack of air or blood. Rather, from lack of silence. Did you know that it could be damaging to your soul if you didn't get enough silence? Well, at least, that's what Ben though.

"Ben, I'm bored."

"Guess what? I've decided that once we get back home, I'm going to eat all of your jellybeans."

"Hey, I'm hungry. Do you have anything to eat?"

"Ben! Ben? Ben… I was thinking… 'cause I do that a lot, you know… Do you even have jellybeans?"

"I don't think you have jellybeans at your house. So… You'd better buy some, that way I can eat them. Else I'll take all the peanut butter. And you don't have any peanut butter, so you'll have to buy some, that way I can take it."

Yes, listening to a bored Riley Poole in the middle of the Artic Circle for five hours straight was very devious torture. Ben guessed that God was probably watching from Heaven right now, laughing his head off.

The two of them had been walking in the snow for five hours. Why? Because their ride home had driven off without them. Why did it do that? Because the ride was owned their new arch-nemesis. Why was he their arch-nemesis? Well… because he held both Riley and Ben at gunpoint? And because he told Riley to be shut up. No one did that and lived. Except, maybe, Ben, because Ben was his friend.

"Ben! I'm bored," Riley complained. Ben groaned. That made it, what, the seventy-eighth time Riley had said that?

"I know," Ben muttered.

"Can't you do something?" Riley asked, poking Ben with his finger.

"What do you want me to do?" Ben tried to dodge the finger, but it ended up getting him in the shoulder.

"Well…" A grin grew of Riley's face.

"No!" Ben growled out, "I am _not_ carrying you on my back."

"Please?" Riley pouted. Ben glared at him. Man, was Riley drunk or something? Riley pouted some more. "Come on Ben, please? I won't start screaming 'Mush' or anything!"

"Be quiet Riley," Ben sighed.

"Riley," Ben stared at his younger friend, "I have a question."

"Yeah?"

"Why…" Ben hesitated. He wasn't nervous, of course. He was just uneasy about asking Riley this. Riley poked Ben again.

"Well? What?" Riley asked, curious.

"Why did you hold my hand back there?" There. Ben had said it.

Riley froze in his steps. Gulping, he looked up a Ben. "You see… Um, well, I… Because… I was cold!"

"You were cold," Ben said, unbelievingly, also stopping where he stood.

"Yeah. I was cold. Really cold, you know? And your hand was sitting there, and it was really warm, and I was really cold, so I figured that if I held your hand, my hand wouldn't be as cold. See, cold hands," Riley took a deep breath then held up his hands in front of Ben's face. Ben stared at him for a moment, then pushed the hands back down, out of his face. Riley chose that moment to continue his ramblings, "Cold. Your hands were warm. And I couldn't help it. Don't be mad! Please, don't be mad."

Ben gave a short sigh. _Cold. Cold hands. _He thought, _Why don't I believe Riley?_ The man in question was biting his lower lip, looking away.

A small smile graced Ben's lips. He walked in front of Riley, placing a hand on his shoulder. Quietly, he told the fidgeting boy, "Riley, I'm not mad. I was just curious. Don't worry about it, okay?"

Riley relaxed a bit. He didn't do anything to the hand on his shoulder. "Alright."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building:

November 9th, 2004

"Is it really that hard to believe that someone is going to steal the Declaration of Independence?" Riley asked Ben as they walked out of the FBI Building. The two treasure hunters had gone just about everywhere they could to find help, to find someone that would believe the Declaration on Independence was in danger. The FBI had been the last on their list.

Ben snorted. "The FBI gets at least a thousand to ten thousand reports a week. They aren't going to pay attention to something they think is safe."

"But anyone who had to anything is going to think were crazy. Anyone crazy enough to believe us won't want to help. Where can we find someone crazy that can help?" Riley demanded. Ben spun around to face Riley.

"We don't need someone crazy. What's one step short of crazy?" Ben asked his friend. Riley groaned inwardly, thinking, _Not another damn riddle!_

"I don't know! Obsessed? Foolish? Outrageous? In love?" Riley shot out answers like a thesaurus. Ben leaned in.

"Passionate." And with that, Ben turned away and began walking again.

"Wait! Ben!" Riley called out, confused. "Passionate? Where do you find someone passionate about the Declaration of Independence?"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

National Archives:

Fifteen minutes later

Riley Poole knew the first moment he laid eyes on Doctor Abigail Chase that he wouldn't like her. Not one bit. She was blond. She was rich. She had an accent. She had a secretary. She seemed powerful. She was part of the government.

And she had Benjamin Gates wrapped around her finger. And that was a major no-no on Riley Poole's list.

You see, Ben and Riley were on a quest. A quest to save one of the most important pieces of parchment in the history of the US; The Declaration of Independence. So they had set out to find anyone who would believe them- the police, the fire department, even the FBI. But they had found no one.

This was their last option- Well, it was really Ben's option, since Riley didn't want to see her in the first place. But Riley didn't have much a say once Ben decided.

They had just walked in to Doctor Abigail Chase's office.

"Good afternoon, gentleman," Doctor Chase greeted them politely as she set down a phone on her desk.

"Hello," Ben said calmly, a smile on his face. Riley inwardly scowled. He didn't like the look Ben just gave the doctor. The doctor stood.

"Abigail Chase," Doctor Chase smiled at Ben as well, holding out her hand over the desk. Ben shook it firmly. "Pleasure to meet you…"

"Paul. Paul Brown," Ben told her. Riley scowled. They were still shaking hands. He didn't like that. The doctor must have just seen him, for she let go of Ben's hand and faced Riley. She also held out her hand for him, but Riley didn't take it.

"You are?" She asked sweetly, her hand still there.

Riley stared at the hand in disgust. "Bill."

"Nice to meet you as well, Bill," Doctor Chase smiled at him, but he glowered at her. She turned her attention back on Ben. "How may I help you, Mr. Brown?"

"Your accent," Ben admired, "Peensylvanian-Dutch?"

"Saxony-German," She informed him coolly, sitting back down, "Nice ear."

"You're not American?" Riley asked snidely, narrowing his eyes even further.

"Oh I am an American, yes," She replied, staring back at Riley, "I just wasn't born here."

Ben looked around the room, eyeing the doctor's possessions. A box on top of a bookcase stood out. He leaned in, looking at the items. "Please don't touch that!"

The doctor's voice snapped, once she had realized where her other guest was. Ben straightened his back quickly.

"Neat collection you've got there," Ben praised her, even though the lady had just yelled at him. Doctor Chase nodded slowly. "George Washington's campaign buttons. I see you're missing the 1789 augural though. I found one once, you know."

"How very fortunate for you. I have been looking for that one for quiet some time. I was never lucky enough to fin it. Perhaps at a later time, we might be able to discuss how you came across it," The doctor said, "Now, you told my secretary that this was very urgent and important. Can I ask what is so … urgent?"

Riley clenched his fists. Was it possible to hate a person with all your guts after only meeting them for a minute? He didn't think it was until now.

"Yes ma'am. I'm going to be very blunt, and get straight to the point," Ben took a seat next to Ben, in front of Doctor Chase's desk, "Someone is going to steal the Declaration of Independence."

Abigail Chase blinked. Of all the things she had been expecting, that was definitely not one of them. She glanced at Riley, who glared, muttering, "It's true."

She closed her eyes for a moment, saying, "I think I'd better put you guys in touch with the FBI."

"We've already been there," Riley told her.

"And?"

"They assured us that the Declaration could not possibly be stolen."

"They're right," Doctor Chase said, staring at Ben.

"My friend and I are less certain," Ben cut in, giving Riley a look. Riley didn't like that look. He turned back towards Doctor Chase. "However, if we were given the privilege to have just a few minutes to look it over, we could tell you if it was actually safe."

Doctor Chase looked amused. "What do you think you are going to find?"

Ben and Riley glanced at each other. Riley nodded slightly, although he looked a bit disappointed. "We believe that there is an encryption on the back."

"A code?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Of what?" She raised an eyebrow.

"A… A cartograph," Ben leaned forward.

"A map?"

"Yes ma'am."

"A map of what?"

"The location of," Ben took a deep breath, glancing over at Riley, who was staring out the window. Ben also noticed that Riley's hands were clenched, and he wondered why. "Of rare and valuable hidden items, historical items that had great importance in our history."

"A treasure map?" Doctor Chase asked hesitantly.

"Don't act so surprised. Besides, that's were we lost the FBI," Riley said, looking back into the room, away from the birdies he had been looking at moments before.

"You're treasure hunters, aren't you?" Doctor Chase directed her question at Riley, who grinned, pleased at making the doctor anything besides happy.

"No, of course not!" Riley winked at her, "We're more like treasure protectors. A big difference, you know?"

"Mr. Brown, I have personally seen the back of the Declaration of Independence. I promise you there is nothing on there, except the notation that reads-"

"'Original Declaration of Independence, July 4th, 1776.'" Ben joined in, speaking at the same time.

"But no map," The doctor shook her head. "I'm sorry, but-"

"Well, no, there is no visible map." Riley shrugged. "But there is an invisible map."

"Oh. Right," The doctor whispered, nodding her head.

"And that would be where we lost the department of homeland security," Riley told her, shuffling his feet.

"And why to you presume that there is an invisible map? What led you to believe this?" She asked Ben, tilting her head, ever so slightly.

"We found a carving on a two hundred year old pipe."

"Owned," Riley cut in, so as not to be bested, "by the free masons."

"May I see the pipe?" She asked, "The one that brought you to me?"

"Well, we don't have it, but we'll let you know when you do," Riley said.

"What?" The corners of the doctor's lips twitched upwards, "Did Bigfoot take it?"

Ben stood, saying, "It was nice meeting you."

He turned away, as to leave.

"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Brown. I'm afraid the same can't be said about your little friend, Bill, was it?"

"Yes," Riley snapped. He too stood, but didn't leave. Ben glanced at him, but Riley made a shooing motion with his hand. Ben left the room.

"Listen, lady," Riley hissed at her, placing both hands down on the desk. "You stay away from him. He might be stupid enough to fall for you, but I don't see through your little act."

Abigail Chase stared up at him sweetly, a smile on her face. "What act, Bill?"

Riley began to walk away. Right at the doorway, he turned back. "Just know that I've warned you."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"If it's any consolation, you had me convinced," Riley told Ben as they walked towards the Declaration of Independence.

Ben sighed. He looked at his friend then sighed again. "Thanks."

"I was thinking, what if we go public? You know, post this story all over the Internet. It's not like we have any reputations at stake." Riley suggested. The two had reached the famous parchment. Ben stared at Riley.

"Riley?" Ben sucked in his breath. He just did this yesterday! Why did it still seem difficult? "Why were you so rude up there?"

"Huh? Oh. You mean when talking to that Abigail lady, right? She's bad news, Ben. I can feel it. She'll just get us in even more trouble," Riley told him. Ben narrowed his eyes, waiting for the real reason. "Okay! I get it. I didn't like her, all right? Happy?"

"No," Ben said, staring down at the Declaration. "One hundred and eighty years of searching, and I'm only three feet away. Of all the words written here about freedom, there's a line here written at the heart of others. But when a long trail of abusives and usurpentations pursuing variably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute desperatism, it is their right, it is their duty to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. People don't talk that way any more."

"Beautiful," Riley whispered, not sure whether or not he was talking about what Ben had just said, or Ben himself. "I had no idea what you just said."

"It means if there is something wrong, those who have the ability to take action have the responsibility to take action," Ben was silent as Riley thought about that. "I'm going to steal it."

That immediately caught Riley's attention. He snickered, then realized Ben was serious. "What?"

"I'm going to steal the Declaration of Independence."


End file.
